Aochi
“…So, that’s the end?”
Everyone turned their eyes to me at once.
“No… sorry. Silent-chan’s story means that Shizuka-chan and I are in the same position, right? Another personality of Silent-chan. It’s a sad tale—”
As I said that, I stole a glance at Rhone.
So, this guy really was a poisoner after all.
“Don’t look at me like that…”
Rhone was flustered. But honestly, this guy is a poisoner, a stalker of the Harvester of Hearts, and just a complete mess.
“That’s why your Harvesters scolded me so harshly. But it wasn’t just because the men were useless and had to die. Even for me, staying together and then parting is just as sad. It’s always right after they board. That’s when I decide on the one to keep. I leave the main personality, and I make the remaining ones kill each other. So, the truth is… this was the first time I ever mixed my own blood.”
As I edged further away from Rhone, Oze pulled me close by the shoulder.
Is he the real me? Then what am I—just a fake? If so…
“What about Oomi?”
Still leaning on Oze, I looked at Oomi standing right beside us.
Oomi smiled. It was the most genuine smile I had ever seen from him since we met. Oomi, who was always so distant at work, had drawn much closer since we boarded this ship. I had come to feel he was like a real younger brother.
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“Please don’t worry, Aochi-san. I’m another face, another fragment of Oze-san. You and I are the same.”
So it was true. But somehow, I found it easier to accept than when I was told I was one with Oze.
Oomi had been within Oze long before me—an older brother who was younger in age. And Oze, though born later than me, was the younger brother who now ruled the body, like an elder.
When the Watcher Bird called me the “middle child,” this must have been what he meant. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’m glad, Aochi-san, that you’ve returned. I absolutely want all three of us to survive. No—we will survive.”
Of course he seemed reliable. He had been inside Oze much longer than I had.
“By the way, when did you realize it?”
At my question, Oomi glanced toward the heart of the Watcher Bird and thought for a moment.
“Perhaps it was when the Harvester of Hearts told me, ‘You’ve been killing, haven’t you?’ There were things that came to mind. I think that’s why I was allowed to remain within Oze-san until now. Because I have killed many.”
By now, I should have expected that answer. How dull could I be?
“Don’t worry. Aochi-san, you haven’t killed anyone. I have been eliminating the new personalities born within Oze-san—before they could gain firm existence like ours. I gradually remembered that. And you must have realized it somewhere deep down, too. This morning, at the office, when you looked at the sky, you said it: ‘I hope all three of us can make it.’”
Though Oomi was right next to me, he felt so far away. His face glowed red in the light of the nebula. Of course, hearing that Oomi had killed the other personalities inside Oze—beings like us—didn’t make me dislike him in the least. He had taken on the hateful task needed to protect the main body. I even thought that maybe some of those he eliminated were for my sake. Because that’s the kind of person Oomi is.
“The ones I killed—”
“You don’t need to force yourself.”
If left alone, he would end up confessing everything as if it were a list of sins.
“That’s not it. What I meant to say is that among those I killed, Kaori-san and Mamoru-kun were not there.”
So Kaori-san and Mamoru-kun were part of Oze too… though I had never once seen them. I felt myself slipping toward the whirlpool of confusion again.
“For your sake, Aochi, I’ll put things in order. That is—if the god doesn’t interfere any further.”
The Harvester of Hearts spoke quietly.